Most disposable diapers now manufactured and sold are provided with a pressure sensitive tape at each of the corners adjacent one end of the diaper for securing the diaper together at the waist of the child in the diapering process. One end portion of such tape is commonly attached to the back side of the diaper while the pressure sensitive adhesive surface on the other free end portion is covered with a strippable release-coated protective sheet which is removed from the tape when the diaper is applied to the child. It is preferred that the strippable protective sheet be disposed in such a manner that it will remain attached to the diaper after the pressure sensitive adhesive on the free end portion of the tape is uncovered when preparing the tape for its fastening function. In all of the known embodiments wherein the protective sheet is so disposed as to remain attached either directly to the diaper or to the tape itself after the pressure sensitive surface is uncovered, the protective sheet is situated on the body-contacting side of the diaper. Since the surface of the protective sheet is usually non-breathable and has a release coating, it can become a source of discomfort and possible irritation where it contacts the skin. Accordingly, it would be desirable to find a way to eliminate this problem.
This invention is directed towards solving that problem by providing a pressure tape fastening system in which the releasable protective sheet has one end permanently attached to the outside surface of the diaper rather than to the inside surface. The disposition of the protective sheet is so arranged that when it is stripped from the tape it will remain on the outside of the diaper to assure that it will not contact the infant's skin when the diaper is worn.